First Time Growing!! Help please :)

[Stella1]

Hi!
I live in SoCal, weather is always nice and warm most of the year. And I've never grown anything!!
My dad used to know how to grow many plants, but he passed away recently.
I am not sure on a few things:
1. What type of tomato is best for me?
2. Grow in a container (indoor or outdoor?) or just in my soil in my backyard?
3. I want to grow cilantro and dandelions as well- does this affect your answers for questions 1 and 2 ??

I've watched a bunch of videos and I still do not know which is best for me, a beginner in SoCal with a relatively limited budget.
I'd appreciate any help at all!! Thank you so much! <3

 

[DirtMechanic]

Hello! It starts with what you like to eat! Maybe cherry tomatoes for salads or big slicers for sandwiches? Do you cook much? Then maybe a saucy Roma?

 

[Stella1]

Hello! It starts with what you like to eat! Maybe cherry tomatoes for salads or big slicers for sandwiches? Do you cook much? Then maybe a saucy Roma?

Hi, thanks for the reply! I like big tomatoes for sandwiches

 

[DirtMechanic]

Try a super steak hybrid tomato by Burpee seeds. You will need a fair sized container, at least a 5-7 gallon size, but the plant is a determinate which means it wont grow long and forever like the indeterminate vines will do. Also being a determinate the tomatoes tend to come at once but there wont be so many as there would be on a cherry or roma or many of the smaller fruit types.

 

[Stella1]

Try a super steak hybrid tomato by Burpee seeds. You will need a fair sized container, at least a 5-7 gallon size, but the plant is a determinate which means it wont grow long and forever like the indeterminate vines will do. Also being a determinate the tomatoes tend to come at once but there wont be so many as there would be on a cherry or roma or many of the smaller fruit types.

Thank you! I will try that! Would I just put one singular seed in the 7 gallon container? Or the whole packet? Also, since it is a determinate plant, does that mean it will only grow tomatoes once forever and then the plant dies forever, or would I keep the plant and wait another year for more?

 

[DirtMechanic]

Thank you! I will try that! Would I just put one singular seed in the 7 gallon container? Or the whole packet? Also, since it is a determinate plant, does that mean it will only grow tomatoes once forever and then the plant dies forever, or would I keep the plant and wait another year for more?

Most of us grow from seed each year. Tomato originated in Chile so has a tropical background. It can produce next year but after the first mature growth the quantity and quality of production can go down.

Get some 8 oz solo cups and some seed starting mix. Plant as many as you wish, 1 or 2 seeds per cup. Instruction will usually be on the packages. Give away those you do not use to feed other people! Keep them warm and when they germinate give them light.

The tomato plant is a warm season plant. When growing your tomato plant you should have a temperature around 65F at least, air circulation and a lot of sun light. Make sure your night climate does not get to cold (<55f) because the tomato plant is a tender growing plant which cannot withstand a freeze and slows growth terribly when chilled. The best soil for growing a tomato plant is deep loamy soil that is well drained like potting mix in a container. Tomato plants respond best to phosphorus fertilizers and too much nitrogen fertilizer can result in vigorous vine
and leaf growth but very little fruit. Tomato specific fertilizers have extra calcium and low N to facilitate nice Tomatoes!